“Robert”, an MI5 spy, spoke about an unauthorized talk he had with IRA leaders during 1993 that he believes was instrumental in creating the “Good Friday deal”, which concluded the escalation of violence and terrorism in the British Isles in relation to Ireland from North. According to him, the talks occurred in March, when the government asked him to return after a bomb exploded in London.
The words that he said and that he believes served to bring peace to the island were: “The final solution is union, Ireland it has to be only one”, in an event that the spy pointed out in a BBC documentary as “very controversial and very important”. The code for this operation was “Chiffon” and its objective was to create a secret channel between the UK government and IRA leaders to stop a conflict that, by that time, had claimed more than 3,000 lives.
“I was alone, I was trying to reach an agreement with the leadership of the organization on the most important issue for politics, not only on Irelandbut also British. I understood that I had to succeed and that the only way was through perseverance and patience”, he told the British media. Likewise, he recounted that for years he felt guilty because he deceived the Prime Minister and the queen: “It is something very ugly to have on your conscience.”
What happened at that moment was that a bomb exploded in the heart of the British capital, which left 50 injured and caused the death of two twelve-year-old children, which is why John Mayor, the president at the time, repealed the project. Hours before that event, the spy indicated that he had received a message in which the IRA leadership had indicated that they wanted to change their military focus to a political one, so losing the chance to talk could close that door forever.
The meeting
The talk happened in a city called Londonderry, at the home of an Irish businessman who was very passionate about peace. At that event, Martin McGuiness and Gerry Kelly, two longtime Republicans, were representing the IRA. After several hours of conversation, “Robert” gave his line about the union, which resonated with his political rivals.
“It gave us hope that there was a chance for peace through meaningful talks. I think Robert did the right thing by coming here and he can admit that he is part of history,” Kelly said in a documentary.
